Food for thought
by nyte-nurs
Summary: A fluffy oneshot, Hotly all the way! Some of the BAU team should have stayed home sick.


_Been away from ffn for a while & needed to get my groove back writing. I'm aware this is pointless ramble, but it's H/P ramble which makes me happy if no one else ;)_

Food for thought.

**No infringement intended, no profits being made.**

As the shrill shrieking of the alarm pierced Emily Prentiss's welcome blanket of darkness she groaned. Waving a hand around in an uncoordinated manner she attempted to grab her cell phone to silence the awful noise. Eventually she succeeded and she dropped it back onto the bedside table in defeat that it was actually correct and she had to leave the warm cocoon she was nestled in and face the world again. Deciding that if she allowed herself to get comfortable again she probably wouldn't get up she threw the covers off and swung her feet down to the floor.

She immediately regretted the quick movement as her body protested. She had managed to make her own head spin and her stomach lurch, not the best start to the day. Sighing and irritated with her own reluctance to get going she pulled herself upright and shuffled to the bathroom to wake herself up in the shower. Her mother had firmly believed that a cool, if not cold, shower was the best way to brace yourself for the day ahead. Emily wholeheartedly disagreed with that, and in fact favoured a shower that was so hot it often left her normally porcelain skin reddened from the temperature. She wondered occasionally how much of that preference was just down to resistance to doing anything her mother endorsed. It wasn't until steam rose up the shower cubicle that she slipped off her night clothes and stepped in.

The hot water was welcome and she turned her face into the stream and allowed her eyes to close under the warmth and pressure. Allowing herself only a short period of indulgence she turned her back to the water stream and began to wash her hair, selecting a plainly clean smelling shampoo for the day in the office. When she had been at a crime scene or dumpsite or whatever that had a strong aroma she used a citrus shampoo as it was the only thing that would remove the lingering scents that hair was so good at absorbing. It wasn't required today though. She turned off the water before she left the shower cubicle to incentivise herself to actually get out and get dressed.

She dressed quickly as the early morning air in her apartment was cool, her heating system had not yet got to grips with it. Following her usual routine she flicked on the coffee machine and lowered a cinnamon bagel into the toaster as she turned on the television to check for any cases which might be coming their way. Seeing nothing of interest as of yet she turned away to pour herself a cup of coffee and retrieve the bagel that was now golden brown.

Sitting on her sofa she forced her phone to check her e-mail, though she knew it would have done so anyway, and found no new messages. She discarded her phone on the coffee table and sank back into the cushions as she starred mindlessly at the headline ticker scrolling across the bottom of the screen. She brought the bagel up to her lips intending to take a bite, but found she didn't really want to, she didn't find the aroma appetising. She took a small bite anyway, knowing she would regret it if she didn't eat something before she left for the office. Chewing determinedly she had the sensation that she was chewing cardboard and had to work hard to concentrate on swallowing. She eyed the bagel missing a bite with suspicion, maybe it had gone stale. Deciding to wash it down she took a mouthful of coffee and swallowed it down hastily. It didn't do a thing to improve her situation, her stomach felt sour and unsettled. She decided to give up entirely and head to work, she was sure the fresh air on the way in would sort her out.

The roads were quiet as it was only 7am and she made it in faster than she normally would. Mid-week traffic was never as bad as Monday or Friday. She wondered what the reason for that was, did a lot of people only bother to work on a Monday or Friday? The elevator doors opened to reveal the floor was quiet, she knew she wasn't the first of her team to arrive, and she didn't expect to be. Reid was already at his desk, adjacent to hers, through the blinds she could see Hotch was also situated behind a mound of paper work. She knew what most of it originated from. On their most recent case she had been charged at and tackled to the ground by the Unsub they were trying to track down as they cleared the location, in the process she had accidentally discharged her weapon and had hit the SUV they were travelling in, taking out the windscreen. So, not only had all her, very minor, injuries had to be catalogued as she'd technically been assaulted, she had to do a mound of paperwork for accidentally discharging her weapon and for damage to FBI property. Once she'd finished all those reports, Hotch had to add his own stamp to them as well. Consequently she was miles behind in actual case reports and consultations because of the bureaucratic mountain she'd been buried under since they returned to DC.

Reid looked up to greet her as she dropped her bag onto the floor under her desk and hung her coat on the back of her chair.

"Hey Emily," he smiled, "You OK? You look, tired this morning."

She shrugged, "Yeah, just feeling a bit... off? Sure I just need some coffee." she reassured him.

"Didn't you sleep?" he pressed.

"No I did, had kind of a late night, just feel a bit off colour this morning. I'm fine though."

"Were you drinking?" he asked, taking a mouthful of his own coffee as he watched her walk away to pour her own, rethink and pour herself cool water.

"Reid! I had one glass of wine, hardly enough to be hung over. What's with the inquisition?"

He raised his eyebrows and lowered his gaze to his desk, pushing himself back in his chair and extending the distance between them, "Just concerned for a friend, that's all." he muttered.

Emily sighed feeling remorse for her less than charitable exchange with him, "Sorry, thanks I'm fine though."

"OK, well shout if you need something." he returned his attention to his own stack of paper work.

She nodded her thanks and fixed her attention on prioritising the tasks in front of her. She sipped the cool water in-between leafing through and sorting the files she had previously discarded on her desk. It didn't make her feel any better, but neither did it make the nausea any worse so she persevered with it. Finishing with organising she reluctantly opened the first file to assess how far she had got with it. She could see she had done the preliminary assessment but being interrupted meant she'd have to reread the case to refresh herself on the particulars before continuing with a presentable profile. She shifted in her seat uncomfortably, wishing she could shift the nausea that ruined her concentration. She wasn't someone who was prone the illness in general and she couldn't even remember the last time she felt as sick. She glanced up at Reid, who did a fairly poor job of lowering his gaze in time for her to miss his concerned stare. Looking past him she could see the rest of the team had arrived quietly while she was immersed in shuffling and organising her workload. Hearing Hotch's office door open she swivelled her gaze. He strode purposefully toward them as the rest of the team looked up from their various tasks, taking in his presence and demeanour.

"Shall we go through to the meeting room?" he suggested loud enough for them all to hear but softly enough to prevent it from being a barked order, "We need to align our workloads, there are a few cases that need input from all of us before they can be closed out."

He observed their shared nods then turned and started toward the meeting room knowing the rest of his team would be close behind.

Emily sighed as she pulled herself up from behind her desk, she was just about holding herself together in the more airy space behind her desk, the thought of being stuck in the hot airless meeting room filled her with dread. She hung back to pick up the folders she knew she would need as well as her water. Watching her team mates assemble she hung back to be the last one in hoping to get the seat by the door so she would have some air movement. That was until she saw Reid hanging back for her.

"I'm coming." she assured him.

He nodded and waited for her to catch up. She gestured for him go first.

"You want to sit by the door?" he asked her quietly.

She looked at him in surprise, "Yeah, thanks." she replied, again cursing the fact she worked with profilers who noticed everything and knew her better than she realised.

As they sat she felt increasingly uncomfortable and cleared her throat in an attempt to distract herself. She felt Reid glance at her again and she tried to ignore him. Hotch started talking and she found herself tuning out almost instantly, keeping her gaze focused on the paperwork in front of her she was aware that her whole body was tensed as she tried to ignore the nausea. Ignoring it clearly wasn't working as she felt her heart racing with the distantly familiar feeling that she was going to throw up.

"Excuse me." she muttered as she bolted from the room, not seeing and not caring about her team's concerned and questioning glances at her back. She threw open the door to the bathroom and was on her knees over the toilet before she could shut the stall door behind her. She screwed her watering eyes shut as she retched for what felt like forever as her stomach emptied it's self. When it finally eased she leaned against the wall of the stall she sat in, still within easy reach as she wasn't sure she could leave the toilet just yet.

A hand passed her a tissue, startling her, she hadn't heard JJ enter the bathroom at all.

"You OK?" she asked her, clearly concerned.

Emily raised her eyebrows, "Yeah, great." she muttered.

The blond nodded her head in acknowledgement that it had been a rhetorical question after what she had just witnessed, "Can I get you some water, soda?"

Emily shook her head using as little effort as she could, "No thanks.". She took a few steadying breaths, wondering whether she dare get up.

JJ answered that for her, "Stay there a minute, let your heart rate settle."

She heard the other woman step away, her shoes echoing on the tiled floor and the tap run. Momentarily a wet paper towel appeared in front of her in her friend's outstretched hand.

"Thanks." she muttered as she pressed it gratefully against her forehead.

After another minute or so she discarded the soothing paper towel and carefully pulled herself to her feet. Gingerly she made her way to the sinks to rinse out her mouth and splash some water on her face. She groaned as she caught sight of her ghostly white reflection in the mirror and steadied herself with both hands on the side of the sink as her head swum with the slight change in altitude.

She felt her friends hand lightly on her back, "Do you need to sit back down?"

"No it's OK." she croaked, her throat raw from her retching efforts. She could feel her companion hesitate before she asked her.

"You're not pregnant are you?" she made it sound like a joke but they both knew she meant the question seriously, given the circumstances Emily could forgive her for jumping to that conclusion.

"No, definitely not." she pressed a shaky hand to her forehead, "I have a fever, you don't get a fever with morning sickness."

JJ noted that this was a statement of fact and not a question but chose to leave her exploration of why to a different time, she out her hand to her friends cheek and agreed, "Yeah you're burning, you need to go home."

"I don't think I can drive right now." she admitted.

JJ shrugged, "I'll drive your car then just get a cab back here."

As Emily tried to protest her friend waved her objections away and gently guided her from the bathroom, she deposited her on a chair nearby while she strode ahead back into the bullpen Emily assumed, to inform the rest of the team. She took it to mean she should wait here for her to return.

She sunk into the chair gratefully. Suddenly every muscle in her body ached and her head was pounding. She could think of nothing better than laying flat on her own bed, within reach of her own cool white bathroom. Seeing JJ heading back her way holding the cost and bag she'd brought to the office she tried, and failed to make herself look either more presentable or more attentive. JJ held her gently on the arm as she rose and linked with her at the elbow to keep her steady. Though she would never normally accept such a gesture she was grateful for it as she felt both heavy as lead and light enough to be blown over at the same time.

Reaching the sanctuary of her car it felt odd to Emily to be sinking into the passenger seat and seeing the dash from the opposite side. She cracked the window slightly and was grateful for the cool freshness it gave. Her stomach lurked as the engine came to life and she pressed her lips together and her eyes shut.

"OK?"

She hesitated, then replied, "Yeah, should've stayed home sick, wasn't worth it for an hour in the office."

"At least you didn't throw up on the conference table."

Emily snorted a laugh despite herself, "True."

"Hotch wanted to drive you home himself."

Emily did not answer merely raised her eyebrows in response as she allowed herself to indulge in some self pity over how awful she felt. She tried to focus on the cool breeze which gently blew over her face as she allowed her eyes to close to the glare that accentuated her headache and the pressure behind her eyes. She could feel JJ regarding her intermittently, could hear the faint movement of her head around from the road but she couldn't summon the energy to open her eyes, straighten her posture and offer her friend some sort of reassurance on her condition. She recognised the swing of the entrance to the parking garage at her building as it made her stomach flip and she pressed her lips together in an effort to still her overactive gag reflex. As her eyes sprung open it felt like the whole world was rushing past the window at 1000miles per hour though she knew they were merely crawling through the underground garage.

"This one?" JJ pointed ahead to her allotted parking spot and Emily nodded her affirmation. She accepted the keys her temporary chauffeur handed her and gingerly pulled herself out of the car. She supported herself with a hand flat against the car door as she remote locked it and waited for JJ to round the car to join her on this side.

They walked in silence to the elevator and Emily allowed herself for once to slump against the wall, grateful for it's rigidity. After unlocking her door she launched her keys onto the side table by the door as she kicked off her shoes. She simultaneously cursed her bedroom being upstairs and her sofa being so far away from the door and she tried to decide where to lay down and wait for death. Decided the stairs were entirely too much trouble she shed her jacket and flopped onto the sofa, laying on the slight incline of the padded arm she allowed her eyes to close and indulged herself in feeling utterly miserable.

With the quiet shuffling behind her she remembered she had rudely ignored her colleague and friend, "Thanks." she muttered in acknowledgement of her friends efforts.

JJ stepped into her vision armed with what looked like a sick person arsenal. On the coffee table in front of her she placed a tall glass of iced water, tissues and her phone. On the floor she gently placed her waste paper bin down, "Just in case." she told her.

"I can make it to the bathroom." Emily snorted in reply.

"Just in case." she reiterated as the continued to stock up her vicinity, the next items were Tylenol and the remote controls for her cable tv.

"Thanks."

JJ quickly placed her hand on the other woman's shoulder, "I can stay, if you like, I know it sucks to be alone when you're sick."

Emily shook her head, "It's ok I prefer to die in peace thanks."

JJ nodded her acceptance as she rose, "OK, well, I'm going to call you every two hours to see how you are and if you haven't kept anything down in the next twelve hours I'm taking you to the ER OK?"

"Yessir." she muttered.

Letting her hand linger on her friends shoulder to offer comfort and contact she reached over her and pulled the blanket draped across the back of the sofa down and lay it over her form. Then she broke away to retrieve something and came back with a set of pyjamas that had been folded up on the stairs waiting to be put away.

"I'll leave you these, work clothes are not comfortable to sleep in when you're sick, or otherwise."

"Thank you." Prentiss murmured appreciatively with already half closed eyes.

"I'm going to get a cab from down stairs, I'll call you later."

Prentiss heard the words only partly, she was already drifting off to sleep.

JJ arrived back at the office to find the remains of the team scattered around at their usual positions in the bullpen. Glancing up to Hotch's office she was surprised to see that it was empty, while Rossi was at his desk flicking through paperwork a little absent mindedly. Reid and Morgan were at their desks making little attempt to disguise the fact they were not working, Morgan was blatantly spinning on his rotating office chair while Reid appeared to be doodling.

"Whats going on guys?" she asked.

Reid regarded her in a laid back manner, "Nothing, we're in a holding pattern needing Hotch to sign off on these reports."

JJ shrugged in confusion, "And?"

Morgan turned to face her with a wry smile and a raised eyebrow, "He's gone home sick too."

JJ returned his amused expression, "Really? Huh, what are the chances?"

"Well statistically coworkers tend to develop gastrointestinal illnesses at the same time due to close working proximity, shared bathroom and inadequate hygiene facilities or practices-"

"My point is," JJ interrupted Reid's monologue, "coworkers get sick _around _the same time, not exactly the same time, unless they are exposed at exactly the same time."

Morgan didn't allow Reid to interject, "Like if they've been around the same sick toddler?"

"Or out to dinner together and shared food?" JJ suggested.

Reid rolled his chair back, "Yeah maybe I'll give the canteen a miss today."

JJ and Morgan exchanged glances and shrugged going back to their workload.

The harsh ringing of her cell phone stirred Prentiss from her doze on the sofa, not for the first time.

"Yeah." she sighed into it without checking the display.

"Hey." came the male voice she recognised, slightly more gruff than usual.

"Hey," she sighed, resting her head back against the cushion beneath her, "Sorry, are we getting really behind on paperwork? I'm sure I'll be back tomorrow."

"I'm sick too I'm home, so we're probably going to be buried when we get back."

She laid a across her forehead as she spoke, "God is must've been dinner last night! How are you doing?"

"Well I won't be taking restaurant recommendations from my brother again but I think you had more seafood than me, I only threw up once, just feeling wrung out now. How about you? Do you need anything?"

"No thanks, I tried some water but let's just say that I'm glad a have a bathroom downstairs too." she told him ruefully.

"Maybe this is why there are fraternisation rules, if you choose a bad restaurant you loose half your team." he joked.

"Yeah, maybe." she muttered.

"You sound tired, I just wanted to check in on you. Jessica has Jack I can come and bring crackers and water if you like. We can be miserable together?"

"Misery likes company?"

"Something like that."

She considered it for a second, "OK, but use your key I don't have the energy to get up and let you in, and JJ might call or call round so you may have to be quiet and hide or something."

"Sounds like something I can do. Go back to sleep, I'll be there when you wake up."

She smiled at his words, already feeling more relaxed at the prospect of being near him when she woke up.

"See you soon."


End file.
